Pismo Beach and Ventura Piers Close as High Surf Warnings Cover Bay Area and Central Coast

Since the storm series hit Southern California on Friday, Nov. 13, with rain, Wilmington flooding and a high surf advisory through Tuesday, the bigger story has become the ocean. The National Weather Service has warnings in effect from the Bay Area down through the Central Coast, and two coastal cities have shut their piers.

Pismo Beach shuts its pier

The City of Pismo Beach announced Friday that its pier will close from midnight Friday night through 5 a.m. Sunday. The city cited National Weather Service forecasts and guidance from the State Office of Emergency Services.

City leaders say waves of 15 to 18 feet could "crash over and onto the pier decking." Beaches remain open for now. City staff said they will watch tide and wave conditions through the weekend and close beaches if needed.

The National Weather Service has a high surf warning for San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Barbara County Central Coast. It calls for breaking waves of 18 to 25 feet, dangerous rip currents and a high risk of flooding in low-lying areas such as beaches, walkways and roads. West-northwest facing beaches like Oceano Dunes are the most exposed. The warning runs through 3 a.m. Sunday, and a coastal flood warning covers 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services named the Cayucos Pier, the Morro Bay Harbor entrance and Oceano Dunes as other spots that could take the brunt. "Please stay off beaches and coastal walkways, piers and jetties during this time," the office said. "Life-threatening surf conditions are expected."

California State Parks has already canceled beach camping reservations at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area from Thursday through Monday.

Not everyone loves the caution. A visitor to the pier wrote on the city's Facebook post that 50 or 60 years ago, "They never shut the pier down. The waves would crash over it. It was so exciting." The visitor added: "Now a days they have to make sure everyone is so safe." He also said he saw chain-link fence going up at the end of the pier.

Bay Area and Big Sur face the biggest waves

The largest numbers are farther north. A separate high surf warning took effect at 6 p.m. Friday and runs until 4 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. It covers the Coastal North Bay, including Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula Coast, Northern and Southern Monterey Bay, San Francisco and the Big Sur coast.

The Weather Service forecasts breaking waves of 25 to 35 feet, with occasional sets of 40 to 50 feet at favored locations. It warned the waves "bring tremendous power that will overpower anyone in the water and cause coastal erosion," and that "the risk of drowning is very high this weekend."

High tides could push seawater inland and flood low-lying infrastructure, with isolated road closures possible. The Weather Service also warned of tidal inundation up to 1.5 feet above ground level near shorelines and tidal waterways.

In Pacifica, the municipal pier was already closed after structural damage. Emergency investigation and stabilization work was underway as officials weighed repair and rebuilding options ahead of the swell.

Ventura closes its pier and plans a berm

The City of Ventura closed its pier at 10 p.m. Friday. It is scheduled to stay closed through 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. The city called the move "a precautionary measure to protect public safety during hazardous ocean conditions."

Heavy equipment is due on the beach Monday, Nov. 16, to start building what the city describes as "an approximately one-mile-long, 5- to 6-foot-high temporary protective sand berm." The city says it will shield beachfront neighborhoods, public infrastructure and coastal accessways. Ventura tied the work to expected high surf, El Niño-related winter storms and upcoming king tides.

Ventura is under a high surf advisory through 3 p.m. Tuesday and a coastal flood advisory from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Forecast waves are 10 to 14 feet Saturday and 8 to 12 feet Sunday. The city has not published a cost for the berm.

The El Niño backdrop

The NOAA Climate Prediction Center issued an El Niño advisory on Nov. 12. It says a strong-to-very-strong El Niño is likely to continue through January-March 2027, with probabilities above 79%.

The forecast does not say this weekend's swell was caused by El Niño. It does show why Ventura is building its berm now instead of waiting for a single event.

What comes next

Forecasters expect a series of west-northwesterly swells to keep surf large into next week. Another period of warning-level surf could develop late Sunday night into Monday, Nov. 16, the same day Ventura's berm work is scheduled to begin.

The Pismo Beach Pier is set to reopen at 5 a.m. Sunday. Whether it stays open through Monday's swell depends on the next round of Weather Service forecasts.